


bella gerant alii (let others wage war)

by sinequanon



Series: rebellion and revolution [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Dimensions, Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 11:18:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9721949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinequanon/pseuds/sinequanon
Summary: After Aizen's defeat, Ichigo did not lose his powers as expected. The Gotei 13 was divided between those who saw Ichigo as a friend and ally, and those who saw a potential threat. After a failed assassination attempt by the Onmitsukido, civil war erupted.After many years and yet another attempt on his life, Kisuke sends Ichigo to another dimension with the promise that Ichigo will return as soon as the immediate danger has passed.





	

**Author's Note:**

> One of my favorite things about time travel fics is the potential "I'm from the future" reveal, and I wanted to play with that. This fic is not time travel, but the "I'm not from around here" reveal is essentially the same.
> 
> This fic starts from that point; I hope you enjoy it.

BEFORE:  
After Aizen's defeat, Ichigo did not lose his powers as expected. This sent a wave of apprehension through certain factions of Soul Society who feared that the young hybrid would become the next great threat. The Gotei 13 was divided between those who saw Ichigo as a treasured friend and ally, and those who feared his abilities. After a failed assassination attempt by the Onmitsukido, civil war erupted.

A few years and an alarming number of assassination attempts later, Kisuke sends Ichigo to another dimension with the promises that they will stay in contact, and that Ichigo will return as soon as the immediate danger has passed.

  
<> <> <> <>

  
“You never meant to bring me back, did you?”

Ichigo was almost deathly pale, his hands clenched into fists at his side. If looks could kill, Kisuke would be nothing but a pile of smoldering ash, despite the fact that the tree Ichigo was leaning against seemed to be the only thing keeping him upright.

The guilt flashed through the other man's eyes quickly enough that Ichigo wouldn't have seen it if he didn't already know what to look for. “Kurosaki-san--”

Ichigo's face crumpled, just for a moment, and it hurt Kisuke’s heart to see it, even though he knew that he'd done the right thing.

“Don't you dare do this to me, you bastard! I can still save you--”

“Ichigo,” Kisuke interrupted, voice gentler than anyone had ever heard it, “there's nothing you can do. There's nothing you _should_ do.” His gaze hardened briefly into an expression that Ichigo had never seen before. “Soul Society is going to destroy itself and, frankly, our fate is probably well-deserved.”

“ _You_ don't deserve it,” Ichigo argued at the flickering image before him. “The Visored don't deserve it, Shunsui didn't deserve what happened to him--”

“Ichigo,” the former captain interrupted once again, “I know that there are those who think that I was selfish for pulling you into our world, for not dealing with the hogyoku, Kuchiki-san, and Aizen myself, and they're correct. I _am_ selfish, and I'm going to do something that I should have done a long time ago, and save _you_. I know that it's not enough, but--” he broke off, and the projection dimmed considerably. “The other me may not be as fashionable as I am,” he joked, absentmindedly adjusting his hat while Ichigo stared, “but he’ll look after you. I left him a message crystal, in a place where only he can find it, so you won't need to explain anything--he’ll take care of everything.”

Ichigo was suddenly glad that the pictures between them weren't clear enough for Kisuke to see the tears in his eyes. “Kisuke, please--”

“I'm proud of you Ichigo, never forget that.”

The crystal in Ichigo's hand flickered and went dark.

<> <>

A few yards away, another wily genius waited, partially hidden by a copse of trees, as the young man in front of him argued with a doomed version of the Twelfth Division captain. His counterpart had left him two crystals--one for his eyes only, and the other for Yamamoto and the rest of the captains. The other Kisuke had told him all about Ichigo and what he had done for the Shinigami, as well as how poorly the Shinigami had sought to repay their savior for his service.

Urahara had forced himself to watch the other man's message three times, just to make sure he didn't overlook any crucial information, and after he had gotten over the shock of the initial contact, he found himself surprisingly angry at both his counterpart and the alternate version of Soul Society. Frankly, the captain was inordinately glad that not everyone had turned against the young man, and that there had been those who had fought against that injustice, even at the cost of their own lives.

Urahara didn't really know Ichigo, apart from their awkward encounter at the Shiba house a few weeks before, but everything he had seen in the young man made the captain _want_ to know him. Even before this revelation about Ichigo's identity, Urahara had found the stories about him fascinating, if slightly unbelievable. Now, he knew better than to assume anything about Ichigo.

If there was one thing Urahara had learned from his counterpart, it was that Ichigo needed friends more than he needed comrades, especially now when there were no wars to be fought. He would need to sit down with Kaien and Isshin soon, before he gave Yamamoto the other crystal, both so that the two men wouldn't be blindsided by the news about Ichigo, and so that they could start working to truly integrate him into the family. Maybe he'd get Kuukaku involved as well, to help keep the rest of the Shibas from overwhelming him, though she was overwhelming enough on her own.

Ichigo would undoubtedly struggle with both his past and the other Urahara’s choice for a long time, and it was going to be their job to help him work through those losses.

Urahara watched as the young man nearly doubled over on himself in an effort to keep his emotions in check, but it was only when Ichigo started breathing in short, choppy gasps and his face turned even more pale that the captain made himself known. Ichigo's eyes went wide, and he acted for a moment like he was going to turn away, only to practically fall into the captain’s arms when he got close enough to touch.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know you're not--” _my Kisuke,_ he didn't say, “you don't even know me.” Ichigo's grip on Urahara tightened, just for a second, and the older man used that opportunity to pull the boy further into the shelter of his arms. He refused to let go, holding him firmly until Ichigo gave up the struggle to get away and began crying in earnest.

“I don't know if I can do this again,” he whispered into Urahara’s shoulder. “Even if it isn't Aizen here, it's going to be something, and at least before I had--” He broke off as a fresh wave of tears started falling and he sagged further into the Shinigami’s hold.

“Kurosaki-san,” Urahara interjected quietly once the young man had calmed, “None of us could ever replace the people you’ve lost, but I give you my word that you’ll be safe here. Plus,” he added with a quick grin, “I’ll have you know that I'm much better looking than the other me. That outfit made your Kisuke look like a vagrant.”

As he’d hoped, the boy chuckled a little, and Urahara took the opportunity to pull Ichigo to his feet and start leading him in the direction of the Shiba estate. He'd give Ichigo time to get himself together, and hopefully, get a good night's rest before he threw his life further into chaos in the morning.

<> <>

“Good morning, Shiba-san,” Urahara said brightly as he strolled into the lieutenant’s office, a bewildered and possibly still-inebriated Isshin following closely behind him. His gaze narrowed, obviously taking in the Shiba head’s less-than-perfect appearance, before ending in a smirk. “We need to talk.”

“Oh?” Kaien said dumbly, only to flinch at the inadequacy of his own response. Outwitting Urahara Kisuke was not something he could do this early in the morning, especially while hungover.

“Oh, yes,” Urahara agreed genially. “There is something the three of us need to discuss, and considering it's a family issue, I thought it best to address it as soon as possible.”

Granted, this conversation should likely have waited until all parties were sober, but the captain had no intention of making Ichigo worry any longer than necessary, and frankly, an intoxicated Isshin would probably handle the news that he had a son better than a sober one.

A family issue? Kaien had noticed that Ichigo had left the celebration early the night before, but the young man had been in bed when Kaien had checked on him, so he hadn't worried about it too much. He had planned to ask his cousin about it after work, but if Urahara was here, with Isshin, about a family issue, maybe Ichigo's disappearance last night had to do with more than his general moodiness. As far as he knew, the Twelfth Division captain and his cousin weren't well-acquainted. He glanced at his uncle, who only shrugged, equally as confused.

“Did something happen to Ichigo?” he asked.

“I really think this should be discussed somewhere private,” the scientist said, instead of answering, which did nothing to quell Kaien's rising concern. He opened his mouth to say as much (just because his uncle was good friends with the other captain and his sister was best friends with Yoruichi didn't mean that the lieutenant completely trusted Urahara) when his own captain walked in.

Ukitake took in the unlikely visitors and the obvious tension in the room and asked, “Kaien, is everything all right?”

“Captain Urahara says that he has something to tell me about Ichigo,” Kaien said, glaring at the twelfth division head before he tried to deny it.

Kisuke shrugged. “So sorry for the inconvenience, Ukitake-san, but I was just about to share some sensitive information with your lieutenant and Isshin, here.”

“Is it something the Captain Commander should know?”

“It's something I'm going to bring up at the next captains’ meeting,” he admitted smoothly, “but as the news is quite shocking, I thought I'd give these two some time to come to terms with it before the rest of you know.”

“So it does have to do with Ichigo,” Kaien accused.

Ukitake frowned at his subordinate’s reaction. Kisuke liked to keep his secrets, that was true, but Ukitake put that down as much to Shihouin Yoruichi’s influence as to the scientist’s own personality. The Thirteenth Division captain was sure that Kisuke wouldn't bring any harm to Kaien's cousin. Of course, Kaien had become fond of Ichigo rather quickly, and was likely just being overprotective.

Isshin, by contrast, seemed ready to crawl onto his nephew's desk and take a nap.

Ukitake chuckled. “Would you like to use my office to have your discussion? I'm sure Lisa could use some help in getting Shunsui to do his paperwork.”

“Thank you, Ukitake-san,” Kisuke agreed, already shoving a Isshin toward the door and grabbing Kaien's sleeve as he walked. “This will take an hour or so, though if we're not out in two hours, you might want to send someone to check on us.”

The last thing the white-haired captain heard was his lieutenant’s irate squawk before the door shut.

<> <>

When Ukitake returned, he found a note from Kaien apologizing for his absence from work for the rest of the week. A quick check with the Tenth Division showed that Isshin had done the same.

<> <>

No one had ever accused Ichigo of being shy, but at that moment, he really wanted to melt into the floor and disappear.

Urahara had vanished shortly after ambushing him on his way to breakfast, leaving Ichigo alone to face his maybe-cousin and father, who were now staring at him with looks that Ichigo was having a hard time interpreting. The scientist had said that he would address the issue first thing in the morning, of course, but Ichigo didn't think that meant that Urahara would shut them in a room together quite this soon.

(It didn't help that Ichigo had barely slept the night before, though lack of sleep these days was hardly unusual.)

There was a part of Ichigo that was relieved that he hadn't been there to see the message that Kisuke had left for everyone; living through it the first time had been difficult enough, and he hardly needed the images that haunted his nightmares to be any clearer.

Still, it was kind of horrible to watch the emotions play over Kaien and Isshin’s faces, especially considering he didn't know exactly what they had seen or what they thought of him at the moment. Kaien's usually expressive face was almost blank, and Isshin’s look was more serious than Ichigo had ever seen on his own father. Urahara had promised Ichigo that he'd be safe, but there was a difference between being safe and being accepted, and despite how much he'd pushed these two away in the beginning, Ichigo wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it if they rejected him now.

The staring wasn't very reassuring.

“I never expected to have children,” Isshin finally began, and Ichigo flinched, “but from what I've seen, I'll just have to try my best to be worthy of you.”

“ _What_?” the teenager asked. He was sure he'd misunderstood.

Kaien took a step forward, arm outstretched like he was approaching a skittish animal, and Ichigo had to fight not to take a step backward. “What do you mean, what?” he said, not unkindly. “You're family, you're in trouble, and we're going to look after you.”

“But I'm not--” Ichigo looked wide-eyed between the two Shinigami.

“But you are,” Isshin assured him. His father’s doppelgänger was suddenly within arm's reach, and Ichigo had a second to wonder how his dad had managed to get so close before Isshin had clamped his arms around him. “Now,” he said seriously, “I'm going to hug you and you're going to enjoy it, and later, we’ll deal with everything else.” Isshin began carding his fingers through Ichigo's hair, and shared a relieved look with his nephew when Ichigo finally relaxed and buried his face in Isshin’s shoulder.

Ichigo might not trust them, yet, but at least he wasn't afraid of them. He just needed time to heal, and they were willing and able to give Ichigo what he needed.

“I'm sorry,” Ichigo whispered, barely loud enough for the captain to hear him.

“It's all right, I've got you,” Isshin promised, holding the boy tighter.

<> <>

The day of the captain's meeting arrived far too slowly for Ukitake Juushiro’s liking, much to his best friend’s amusement, and despite the fact that the eighth division captain had been the one subjected to the litany of his friend's concerns over the past four days.

Of course, everyone in Seireitei knew something had happened. Neither Kaien nor Shiba Isshin had been seen in public since Monday, and when asked about their absences, the other Shibas in the Gotei 13 would deliberately avoid answering the question. It had also not gone unnoticed that Shiba Ichigo was missing as well, and when asked about the clan’s newest member, the other Shibas would walk away from the conversation altogether rather than answer.

Ukitake had even tried to locate the twelfth division captain--if only for the assurance that everyone in the Shiba clan was well--but the scientist was always either buried in research or at the Shiba estate himself. The fact that he was going there _without_ Shihouin Yoruichi made more than one person’s eyebrows raise, and did nothing to calm the white-haired captain's fears.

After everyone had arrived, save Urahara and Shiba Isshin, Yamamoto called the meeting to order.

“Shouldn't we wait for Kisuke and Isshin-san?” Yoruichi asked pointedly, clearly as vexed about the last four days as Ukitake had been.

“Captain Urahara will arrive shortly, and Captain Shiba is indisposed at the moment,” the old man announced even as a harried and disheveled Urahara burst through the doors.

“My apologies,” he said as he moved to the front of the room and pulled out a crystal, “but I was practicing kidou with, well…” he broke off with a grin, “you’ll see.”

“Are you ready to proceed?”

“Of course,” the scientist agreed. He carefully set the crystal in a place where it could easily project, and addressed the others. “This crystal contains a message and...a challenge of sorts, to all of us from a version of me that existed in a dimension parallel to ours.”

“You’re serious?” Shinji asked.

“Oh, yes,” he answered, eyeing the other captain critically. “This other dimension was far less accepting of anomalies within Soul Society, preferring disposal to study, and as a consequence, the other me sent us something immeasurably valuable for safekeeping.”

“Is it dangerous?”

Urahara smirked, and more than one captain shifted uncomfortably at the sight. _That_ expression on the man’s face rarely meant good things for the rest of them. “Under the right conditions, I'd say he's extremely dangerous,” he said ominously, and activated the crystal.

<> <>

Kaien and Isshin had both volunteered to go with him, but the part of Ichigo that was still worried that the Gotei 13 would turn on him wanted to make sure the Shibas had as much protection from the potential fallout of his dimensional travels as possible, so he promised them he'd be fine on his own.

At home, Ichigo and the other Yamamoto had never been enemies, but they’d never been friends, either. In Ichigo's opinion, the other Soutaichou had kept him around precisely because he recognized that the teenager had the support of a significant number of his stronger officers, and he wasn't interested in creating tension within the ranks.

Unfortunately, the old man's death had given dissenters the foothold they needed to ultimately strike at Ichigo and his family.

Ichigo still had nightmares about the resulting carnage.

He had no idea how his meeting with this Yamamoto was going to go, and despite Kaien, Isshin, and even Urahara’s assurances, Ichigo's mind couldn't help but cycle through all sorts of horrible possibilities. After all, from what little Kaien had told him about what Kisuke had said on the crystal, Kisuke had essentially come out and told them that Ichigo was strong enough to kill them all.

The last thing he wanted was for them to fear him, but he wasn't about to let the Gotei 13 take advantage of him again, either.

The Soutaichou and tea were waiting for him when he arrived, and after Ichigo had watched the other man take the first sip, he relaxed enough to get down to business.

"Shiba Ichigo. Or do you prefer Kurosaki?"

Ichigo shrugged. He wanted to keep his name, but he didn't want to bring unwanted attention to himself or the Shibas.

 _This_ Yamamoto looked exactly the same as the other one, but there was something subtly different about the way this man carried himself that gave Ichigo pause. This Soutaichou's eyes were a touch softer, and a little less tired than those of his counterpart. It wasn't much, but it gave Ichigo a little hope that they would give him a chance, at least.

They watched each other for a few minutes more before the older man finally broke the silence. "You are undoubtedly wary of the Shinigami here, but you have been attending the Academy for some time now. Why is that?"

Ichigo shrugged again, unsure of how to answer. He'd only joined the Academy because Kisuke had suggested it, but after--it was mostly just habit that made him return. He didn't particularly _want_ to be there, but there wasn't much point in skulking around the Shiba estate doing nothing, either.

"Do you want to join the Gotei 13?"

Ichigo gave the question the honest answer it deserved. There was a part of him that yearned for the camaraderie and friendships that he'd lost, but--

"I don't know."

Yamamoto nodded, as if that answer was expected, and Ichigo felt a little bit of the tension in his muscles loosen. "It is not a decision to be made lightly," he agreed. He paused. “There is a place for you here, if you wish,” the man said. “Whenever you feel you are ready for it.”

“And if I'm never ready?”

“Then the Gotei 13 will be the poorer for it,” Yamamoto answered honestly, before gently dismissing the younger man.

Even if Ichigo never joined them, Yamamoto Genryuusai would do his best to make sure the newest Shiba never had cause to fear his organization.

<> <>

Urahara Kisuke tried not to grin as he watched Ichigo extricate himself from the pile of rubble their latest kidou exercise had created. The captain was sure that the teenager wouldn't agree (and would likely scowl even harder than usual at the suggestion) but Ichigo had gotten much better in his casting in the last few months and would only continue to improve.

“I think that's enough for today, Ichigo-san. It wouldn't do for you to be blown up right before your clan’s party,” he said cheerfully.

Ichigo grumbled but said nothing as he continued working himself free, and Urahara really did grin when the young man failed to react to his comment about Ichigo being a Shiba.

For all that Ichigo had become close to Kaien, Isshin, and to a certain extent Urahara himself, the young man was still wary around most everyone else. He watched most of the Gotei 13 as if he expected them to attack him, or, in the case of those who resembled his allies, as if they were about to die in front of him. Ichigo had literally turned and run in the other direction the first time he saw Shinji.

It had been remarkably traumatizing for everyone involved.

All but the least perceptive Shinigami had noticed that Ichigo's friend group consisted largely of captains and seated officers, but everyone knew better than to mention it, especially after one self-important noble ended up with a broken jaw, and each one of Ichigo's "new" friends was carefully finding footing with the young man.

Urahara was proud of his student's progress, and did his best to tease Ichigo as often as possible.

"Shut up, Kisuke!" Ichigo groused.

Ichigo froze as he realized what he'd said, and Urahara felt his breath catch as he watched the deluge of emotions pass over the younger man's face.

"Kurosaki-san--"

Ichigo took a deep breath, and a long moment later waved away his friend's concern while he pulled visibly himself together. "It's okay, Urahara. If I--so many people fought and died for me, and the things that I believed in. Giving up would only be disrespecting their memories." The resolve that had carried him through the other world shone brightly in his eyes for a moment. "I can't do that. I _won't_ do that, even if it hurts."

“Well,” the captain said brightly, not letting Ichigo dwell on his memories, “if you're done destroying my property--”

“Hey!”

“--we should get going, unless you want to see Shiba-san cry. You know how he gets when he thinks you’ll be late.”

As Urahara had hoped, Ichigo rolled his eyes, and the tension left the air once more.

Progress was slow, but Ichigo _was_ recovering, and Urahara was going to do everything in his power to make sure that one day the young man could look at him, and Isshin, and so many others, and not see the faces of the dead.

Later that night, at the party, Kisuke and Isshin watched as one of the littlest Shibas crawled into Ichigo's lap to tell the young man a long, babbling story about something only the child understood, and Ichigo smiled.

And they smiled with him.

**Author's Note:**

> The next fic in this series is a time travel fic. It is the longest in the series and will be posted over three weeks starting in mid-April.
> 
> I'm also playing with a couple of ideas for shorter, fewer than 1k fics, so there's a chance that I'll post one of those before then.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Introductions](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10951221) by [Le0na](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Le0na/pseuds/Le0na)




End file.
